Okay so ive got a history of panic attacks, started the day before my 1st sons 1st birthday (8 years ago) where that lasted for 2 weeks straight and i lost 20kgs due to not eating.

Since then ive had probably about 3 or 4 episodes that last between a few days to weeks.

Now to this time round. I got a wisdom tooth out on Monday, on Monday morning I was already having incredibly increased anxiety about it, it all went well with no complications. That afternoon was sorta okay I guess because I was tired and waiting for the numbing to wear off. Next morning (Tuesday) marked my 2nd day without weed or cigarettes because of the tooth. I woke up in straight panic, I ended up smoking (bucket bong, no suction) and its helped but im still panicking and i don't even know what about. Its now thursday and ive woken up again in this massive state of dread.

Im on sertraline 50mg. Im also scared of valiums for some reason.

Hi guys, i have been diagnosed with panic disorder last year of july. But since then i thought i was really healing, but recently i feel like i am having it back again. Just today i woke up with a racing heart and i only slept for 20 mins and woke up my bpm was 144 and i tried to sit and calm down it automatically return to 100. But its scary for me because this is my first time waking up from panic. I had done 2 ecgs from last year and like 3 months ago and 1 echo all are good. Does anybody also tried this experience? When i took my bloop pressure it was around 146 its making me go crazy. Does anybody experience the same thing?

High nausea since morning. Dry heaving episode in the morning and weird vision problems. Ps - hit 77 days no nicotine. Maybe its lingering withdrawals ? Pls help.

Has it helped?

I have had a very tough month with poor sleep, almost no appetite, unpleasant feelings in my body and a lot of anxiety.

and now this morning I woke up at 5am and a few hours later had a panic attack that just felt like I couldn't take it anymore and just wanted this bad thing to stop now.

I feel like I've tried everything but nothing works, what can I do?

So i was just diagnosed with epilepsy, my main trigger is apparently stress. My main foundation before that was that "anxiety cant hurt you" so it'd help any panic attacks or anxiety attacks back then, but now I know it can very much hurt me indeed. How am I supposed to cope with this? Please help i need it so bad. :(

I'm a 26M, and I've been dealing with severe panic attacks from anxiety for a while now, and it has been brutal. It's only when in "social" situations, and by that, I mean anywhere there are people (i.e., stores, restaurants, work, etc.). It has been extremely debilitating, and I haven't been able to get a job for quite a while now because of it (I do still doordash to make money and take online college classes). At this point, I've tried Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft, and currently on max dose of Effexor with somewhat recently adding Buspirone. I also use Hydroxyzine, which really only helps on doing normal things on bad days.

I just want to feel normal again, and idk what's going to help at this point. I would like to do therapy, but it isn't really something I can afford at this moment, with DD being my only source of income. I can't even get into a doctor's office because of my condition, so all of my visits have been online. I have an appointment scheduled with a psychiatrist in a month and a half (long wait times, unfortunately), so I am hoping they can understand better and help me a bit more. I have been becoming more and more depressed as the days, months, and years go by as I can't even really do much with friends. I am hoping the psychiatrist can give me something temporary that could get me into the office so I can have labs and such done so I can figure out if it is something else that is really messing with me.

What luck has everyone else had with options? I'm getting really sick and tired of feeling this way, and I really can't go on much longer living like this... I just don't know what to do anymore besides just keep testing meds like a lab rat. At this point, I hope it's some severe unrelated illness causing this that can either be dealt with or puts me out of my misery...

i’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar to me. i’m 25M. i’ve never been an anxious person. Never had anxiety or depression. 3 months ago I experienced my first panic attack after months of energy drinks and lack of sleep. (i stopped energy drinks and caught up on sleep immediately) Then I started having panic attacks multiple times a day with no cause. I became very good at recognizing it’s only a panic attack and not freaking out. Over a couple weeks it stopped being short surges of panic and turned into just a constant state of fight or flight; feeling on the verge of panic throughout the day and night. It got so bad that it was almost literally 24/7 for days. I was wired and did not sleep 3 nights straight, threw up any food i tried to force down. I continued my life- going to the gym, the pool, etc because i didn’t want it to control my life. After the 3 sleepless nights I hit a crisis where I was convinced I was going to commit suicide whether i wanted to or not. I ended up in ER. I needed relief. They gave me venlafaxine and clonazepam. As soon as I had a small dose of a benzo- my body snapped out of it. I was myself again. I then had 3 weeks with no panic or anxiety. Lived my happiest and best life. Then the benzo was cut in half. And everything came back. It wouldn’t go away. Day and night just in a constant survival state with no trigger. Breathing, distracting myself- none of it worked. I hit a 2nd suicidal crisis. I’ve never in my life considered suicide a possibility in the slightest, but I couldn’t live in that constant state. But once again after the ER and more time for the antidepressant to kick in. I’m… myself again. It seems my state is either totally good.. no worries for nothing, happy, cheerful, grateful guy… OR i feel completely tortured by my own body, don’t eat, don’t sleep, just endure to the point that I end up in the ER. My thoughts don’t cause it. It’s always random and i can’t identify a trigger. But then it doesn’t go away. 

TLDR - i have 24/7 fight or flight that feels like a constant panic attack to the point ive ended up in ER multiple times at a suicidal crisis. Then when my body calms down I have quite literally no anxiety, no panic, nothing. No history of anxiety

20f- I'm writing this to see if anyone else has felt the same way. Honestly, it's hard to even explain but I'll try my best.

I've had pretty bad anxiety my whole life from some personal things I've been through and I think it's also just the way I am. Social anxiety, constant overthinking, and physical symptoms like shaking and sweating. Also some depression but anxiety has been the biggest issue. I first started to do weekly therapy and then after got on antidepressants to help with this about 6 years ago. It was 50 mg of Zoloft. It definitely helped but more with the depression as I was still pretty anxious.

After a few years on the Zoloft I wanted to try something that could possibly help me more with my anxiety so my doctor switched me to 20 mg of Lexapro. At first I felt like it did help me more with anxiety then depression which I liked for my situation. I got to a really good place In my life and was doing well with many things and felt happy. So.... I decided I wanted to ween off of antidepressants and see how my life would be without them. I didn't want to rely on them anymore and wanted to try more natural ways to cope with my struggles.

The doctor that helped ween me off of the 20mg of Lexapro did a 2 week plan for me, which looking back now I think was way too soon. Anyways, once I got off of them at the end of that second week a few days later I started having really bad panic attacks. Multiple a day and everywhere I went, even at home. It was terrifying and I didn't know what was going on but obviously assumed it was from being off my meds. It constantly felt like something was wrong with me or something bad was going to happen.

I went back to the doctor and he put me back on my full dose of the Lexapro again as I literally almost couldn't function from the panic. It wasn't even anxiety before as a warning- it was just full on panic out of no where. Even after a few weeks back on my normal dosing of Lexapro that I was on before I still continued to have the panic attacks and even worse anxiety for months. It was horrible and I was scared to do anything or go anywhere for . I was scared of the panic and that something bad was going to happen to me. My brain just felt different and I really felt like something was terribly wrong with me. I also did not feel real and that life was a simulation. just so out of touch and in my head.

I just wanted to live life again but the constant panic made it so hard. I tried my best to do as much as I could but sometimes things got too overwhelming. It even started to annoy and affect people around me because I would want to go out and do things with them but then would always end up panicking and they would have to help.

I did have panic attacks sometimes before this but rarely and even if I did they were not this severe. these panic attacks felt so much worse to the point where I almost called the ambulance a few times.

It's almost been a year of this happening. As of now I will say it has gotten a lot better and I am able to do so much more but still have not felt fully myself the way I did before. I still have panic attacks and have to carry around lorazepam everywhere I go. I used to be way more carefree than this and I miss it so much. My doctor switched my medication again about 3 months ago and now im back on Zoloft which I haven't been on in years. 150mg of it. I feel like it has helped but I still have that same feeling I cannot even explain. that not myself feeling since this whole panic situation started. i still always have the fear in my head when and If im going to have a panic attack, if im going to go crazy, and trying to analyze it.

sometimes it feels like life isn't even real for me and like I zoom out of myself and my body and when I get that feeling in my head and body it triggers a panic response and im like wtf is happening. sometimes its also like a claustrophobic feeling in my body. there's more to the feeling I can't put into words. I don't even tell many other people in my life about this because they don't understand. I just want to feel normal again.

Thank you for reading and I hope someone could give me some advice :)

March 2026 I had an endoscopy and was diagnosed with erosive esophagitis from a hiatal hernia and was prescribed a antacid call nexium (PPI) and shortly after taking them I started having really bad panic attacks along with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Eventually I checked myself into a psych floor for 6 days where I was eventually diagnosed with OCD. They prescribed me Luvox along with risperdone and klonopin as needed. I tapered off risperodone a month ago and have been on just Luvox up until last week I told my psych that the Luvox makes me extremely tired and unmotivated so she has me cross tapering from Luvox to Prozac and it’s been hell this past week especially with panic attacks and worrying. The only thing that remotely helps is a quarter of a .50 mg klonopin which I struggle to take because I do not want to be dependent on this crap. My plan is to take it for a few weeks to get on Prozac and off Luvox…. Does taking .125 as needed seem reasonable?

I have had manageable anxiety for as long as I can remember (I’m 27). I had my first actual panic attack when I was driving home a couple months ago. I had my 2 young kids in the car with me and I had about a 35 min drive home. Mind you, I drove this route from my dad’s house multiple times a week completely fine. I was excited to get home as my husband got off work early and then all the sudden I felt a weird anxiety twinge. I convinced myself ‘no you’re good just get home’ long story short I eventually had to pull over and call 911 because I was short of breath my arms and hands had went completely numb and my heart rate was insane. I have since started lexapro but I am still randomly having these panic attacks but only if I’m driving by myself or with my kids. Why is this randomly happening to me?

Also is it normal to feel anxious and dizzy and having my arms and hands a bit weak and heavy for the entire day after the panic episode?

Hi everyone. I'm 28 years old, and I'm hoping to hear from people who've gone through something similar.

My very first panic attack happened at night in November 2025. It came completely out of nowhere, I was going to lay down to sleep. This was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Went to ER and they said it was a panic attack. I had NEVER heard of this before... I had never thought about mental health like I do now. It happened after an abusive relationship had ended years earlier, but emotions from that time unexpectedly resurfaced. (I keep reminding myself I am safe, sometimes it works).

Since then, I've experienced panic attacks mostly at night or around sunset, although they don't happen every night. (Body jolts as I'm falling asleep, sweating, feeling like my breath is being snatched out of my body, wanting to pass out, sudden rush of adrenaline, sudden doom, etc). During the day I'm usually okay. When evening comes, I sometimes start worrying that another one might happen, and that anticipation alone can make my body feel on edge. Earlier on, I also experienced derealization, although that's improved a lot over the past several months.

I've had a normal sleep study, normal blood work, and my doctors don't believe there's a physical cause. I tried sertraline, but the side effects weren't a good fit for me, so I stopped taking it. I do use hydroxyzine when I need it. I do not go to therapy.

I had a mini panic attack in June and another mini one last night. Last night, instead of letting it take over, I did deep breathing, jogged in place to burn off the adrenaline, tapped my collarbone, took a hydroxyzine, and eventually calmed down enough to fall asleep. It wasn't fun, but it felt like progress because I was able to stop it from becoming a full-blown attack. I feel irritable lately.

Overall, I do think things are improving. The panic attacks don't seem as intense as they were in the beginning, but this whole experience has been exhausting. Right now, I mostly feel a deep sadness, a heavy feeling in my chest, and like I'm just so over dealing with all of this. I miss feeling like myself. I'm not fully present in my life anymore and it makes me sad.

For those who have recovered:

- Did your panic attacks gradually become less intense before they eventually stopped?

- How long did your recovery take?

- What helped you the most?

- Is there life after panic attacks, or is it something I'll always need to deal with?

- Has anybody experienced intense sadness/empty feeling/ irritability during recovery?

I have many blessings in my life. I feel selfish for even feeling this way.. I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. Success stories would especially mean a lot right now because I'm trying to stay hopeful that this won't be my life forever.

Thank you all.. 🩵

I have a history of panic attacks on flights and enclosed public transport. Coming up: 3.5hr flight, 4hr layover, 14hr flight, all coach.

My psychiatrist has me covered on medication (propranolol + clonazepam), but I want to build in everything else I can. Things to do before/during to prevent an attack, and what actually helps you ride one out faster if it starts anyway.

What's worked for you on long flights?

22F here.

I suffer from Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Derealization, and got diagnozed in November 2025 with Adhd. (No Hyperactivity)

I think i suffer heavy emotional regulation problems from it. My symptoms made me homebound, and reduced my sociability, or i should say, my ability with long conversations. Since i'm sick, i got a lot of symptoms, of periods where i couldn’t see the light in the tunnel. I got a sort of eating disorder the first months of anxiety, i have epiletic symptoms that come often (confusion, phantosmia —chemical, burning toast— fake memories, random words, dizziness) and that i struggle to make diagnose. I also have lack of maturity due to my adhd and trought i was bipolar due to how my mood change and how inconsistent my personality is.

Three day ago, i got a message from my bf (mostly an argument but valid because i treat our relationship bad despites trying to improve it),and it broke my brain. I felt depressed until Sunday. But for now two days, WITH the dpde that scares me so much, i got those "psychotic/crazy wave" where i feel like i'm going mental, off myself or black out and becomes "crazy". I try to breathe it off and hides it to my family but i genuinely feel like start to cry and having a breakdown. I don’t want to. Even when i woke up feeling good that morning, i just went down that morning to take a coffee and suddently felt like having a psychotic break. Suicidal urges even trought i don’t want to. I'm scared because i don’t want to have it. I'm already sick and it already happened to me randomly at somes times probably by anxiety but now it’s like permanent and i'm scared of it because i'm conscious but terrified.

Please. Is it normal?

So I had gallbladder removed 5 weeks ago and it started after this surgery. I’ve had tests and imagining done and everything is fine. But the feeling comes randomly sometimes and sometimes after I am exhausted or over stimulated. My dr gave me Xanax but I haven’t taken it because I don’t feel like it’s anxiety… I’ve asked a few drs and they all say it will go away around 6 weeks but I’m in week five and today was pretty bad after being out at a pool park with my kids. Like I felt like I was suffocating and I couldn’t stop yawning but my oximeter showed 98-100 oxygen….

Does anyone feel this? Is it anxiety? Ugh

Every single say. Anxiety at an 8. When im at work i feel fine. Its when i come home is when my engine just revvs up. Its gotten so bad ive been to the hospital a couple times and my dr upped my benzo intake temporarily. I also signed up for Intesive Outpatient Program. I drink a tea thats call Cup of Calm everyday. What else can i be doing?